Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second that request.

As members are aware, the refurbishment of Leinster House is ongoing. As a former member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, I can testify that the refurbishment is many decades overdue. I am sure all members support it and look forward to its completion. Regardless of the cost involved, the work is vitally important, given that Leinster House was built in 1745. The work continues on from the construction of Leinster House 2000 in the 2000s and the refurbishment of Government Buildings, which is home to the Department of the Taoiseach, in the 1990s and late 1980s. That said, €8 million was provided for the work on Leinster House but according to media reports the funding has been exhausted. Although I am certain the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission is considering the matter, against the backdrop of the overruns regarding the national children's hospital and in the light of the media coverage of the matter, the committee could usefully inquire as to the outlook in terms of total expenditure and completion dates in order to ensure that adequate oversight is in place. This is a horse of a completely different colour to the issue of the national children's hospital. Regardless of the cost involved, all members agree that the work is many decades overdue. Some €8 million or €10 million is a modest sum compared to the billions being discussed in regard to the hospital. I suggest that the committee write to the Office of Public Works and the Ceann Comhairle to ask what is the situation, how works are progressing, what is the budget outlook and so on. As I stated, I am sure the Oireachtas Commission is giving close consideration to the matter. It has a finite budget that is allocated on a multi-annual basis over three years and I am sure it is not happy about cost overruns. The committee should write to the head of the commission, the OPW and perhaps the Ceann Comhairle to ask for an update on the budget, the status of the project, how much more will it cost and the likely completion dates.